Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

4-2013

Abstract

Scholars have widely argued, but not previously examined, that core employees with firm specific skills are critical to the firm's strategic success. This argument has led to the belief that employees whose skills are not firm specific can be readily replaced in the external market and are peripheral to the firm's strategic goals. Employing a resource based view of the firm, we find that the core information technology (IT) employees with firm specific skills are value-adding resources that aid the firm's performance whereas peripheral employees with less firm specific skills provide no value to the firm's performance. Examining the issue deeper, we find that the economic impact of the presence of core IT employees is moderated by the organization's non-IT investment intensity. The findings of the research provide insights that help to expand the understanding of resource complements and the role of strategic human resources in a firm.

Keywords

Core and periphery, Complementary resources, Firm performance, Resource based view, Strategic human resources

Discipline

Databases and Information Systems | Human Resources Management | Technology and Innovation

Research Areas

Information Systems and Management

Publication

Decision Support Systems

Volume

55

Issue

1

First Page

186

Last Page

193

ISSN

0167-9236

Identifier

10.1016/j.dss.2013.01.018

Publisher

Elsevier

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2013.01.018

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